Burial-casket lid



(No Model.) Q

A. FRESHL.

BURIAL GASKET LID. No. 458,527. Patented Aug. 25, 1891.

J 20am Edd es 1.71 V6.7? 701? M L v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED FRESHL, OF OSHKOSH, wIscoNsIN.

BURlAL-CASKET LID.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,527, dated August 25, 1891.

Application filed January 1891- Serial No. 377,304- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED FRESHL, acitizen of the United States, residing at Oshkosh, in the county of Winnebago and State of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Cases; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked Ehereon, which form a part of this specificaion.

My invention relates to the tops of burialcases and to the face caps or lids thereof.

Heretofore sliding face caps or lids have been constructed and used which operated horizontally in raceways provided for that purpose; but they have been fixed in said raceways and not easily detachable therefrom. They have also been controlled and operated by concealed springs and guides; and in case they should become out of repair and refuse to properly work it would be necessary to entirely remove the top and separate the parts in order to repair the same, so that the face-lid would properly slide and close above the face-glass. In transportation such appliances often get out of repair, and it might occur at funerals, so that at the time when necessary to close the sliding face-lid it would be impossible to do so on account of some catch or clog of the lid in the raceways or a misplacement or inoperation of springs or guides, and the liability of an occurrence of this kind at a funeral or at any time renders the appliance impracticable and useless; also, when in conducting funerals floral ornaments have been placed upon the face-lid it is sometimes desirable to entirely remove the face-lid and the flowers thereon from the casket instead of sliding the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a face-cap that can be either slid horizontally or readily removed from the casketin other words, to provide a sliding face-cap easily separable from the casket and at the same time have the face-panel similar in appearance to the fixed panel. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the top; Fig. 2, a central ver tical longitudinal sectional view; Fig. 3, a vertical cross-sectional view, and Figs. 4 and 5 detail views of the catch for locking the lid.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A is the top; B, the face-plate, being shown partly slid in Fig. 1, and O the foot cap or panel. The panel C is preferably constructed of metal, for the reason that as the face-cap B is constructed to slide beneath the foot-panel O the surface of the cap B will then only be slightly below the plane of the panel 0 when closed, and this will be disguised by the name-plate D, separating the two panels, so as to hardly be noticeable.

E is the face-glass.

I do not provide any raceways for the sliding of the face-cap B. It slides upon ledges e 6, provided for that purpose in the moldings upon each side.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 that when desiring to remove the face-cap B all that is necessary is to raise the same by the cord n and draw it from beneath the plate D, there being enough space provided at m for this purpose.

In my invention it is necessary to provide a latch or look that will prevent the cap B from being raised as well as slid, and for this purpose I provide the latch f, turning in the moldings at the head and arranged so as to pass into an opening S in the bottom of the face-lid, Fig. 5, and look over the bar t, attached across the opening.

In my invention I provide a means of sliding the facecap Without any fixed raoeways, concealed springs or guides, and without the probability of getting clogged or fastened or becoming out of repair, and as the face-cap is both separable and sliding it is betteradapted to suit the wishes of different persons. Therefore What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A burial-oase top comprising inside depressed rabbetshaped horizontal ledges, a fixed foot-panel on a plane above the ledges and provided with a lapping portion at its upper end, which forms with the ledges a recess or space below the plane of the under surface of the panel, a sliding cap on aplane lower than the panel resting on the ledges and of a thickness which permits it to slide top which looks the top and when turned out [0 horizontally on the ledges and underneath of locking position allows the cap to be either the fixed panel, and also when Withdrawn slid or removed, substantially as described from underneath the fixed panel to be freely In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in 5 lifted to an incline position and Withdrawn presence of two Witnesses.

from the case, notwithstanding that its rear ALFRED FRESHL. end extends under the lap and occupies apo- I Witnesses: sition in the recess or space when the cap is l EDWIN CLIFFORD,

CHARLES J. ScHMITT.

horizontal, and a detent at the head of the 

